The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1887-02-25
misIeilanen1ts.
"EXACT TRUTH"

ing through the kitchen, found George Ray
mond, her fathers hired man, or, raih,r
| hired boy, sitting abstractedly by the table
A closed book, the Bible, lay on it. Ger
trude glanced at it and him. She was {
pretty. kind-hearted yonng girl.
"Don't you want good book to read
George?" she said. Allie has nice Sunday
school book, and she has gone over to hel
mission school, and isn't reading it,"
George looked up doubtfully. He had {
high, white forehead, and large, serious blue
eyes.
"ls it q true story ?" said he.
Gertrude laughed
why don't know. don't suppose il
is exactly. Few stories are exactly true"
81 guess don't want it then. My own
Sunday-school book wasn't"
"Why, George Raymond, What an idea
OF course you don't expect II story to be
truc-that is, just true Why, people wouldn't
write them So
81 don't care" said George, stoutly, 81
don't want to read n story TIM, isn't true.
don't like it. The Bibles true, anyhow
| am going to stick 10 that, if | can't find
Anything else"
Gertrude laughed again ut Georges rather
equvoca speech,
We'll, you're safe about the Bible,
GU Sc said she
She went and told her mother about
George and his tue story Tie boy had
been in the family only about II week then
and they were just getting an insight into his
character. None of them could have told
just how it came to pass. but in the course
OF II few months they had Il nickname for
him-"Exact Truth" OF course, the boy
never was addressed in that way, hut il was
"Where is Exact Truth ?" "Tell Exact Truth
to put in the horses"-amoDg the family.
All of th,m were sincerely good people
and had profound respect and love fol
truth, but there was something in Georges
adherence to it which was certainly so un
usual as to be almost amusing. Not one
book would he lock at which was not pro-
nounced true by reliable judges. This was
undoubt, dly much to the boys benefit, foI
thus he confined himself TO very solid and
select course of reading, including mostly
history and the Bible, and some few books
of travel. Fiction he eschewed almost ell
iirely. A boy who would not read a story
because it was not true was an anomaly.
| His regard for the truth served to make him
quite oblivious to everything else. even to
his own personal advantage. A strong in.
stance of this appeared on his Introduction
to the Foster house. 1t transpired that he
had been employed by a gentleman in q
ncighboring village, and had been dscharg
cd George told the story without a re
serve
"Dr. Emmons turned me off because
famed his horse" said he, looking square in
Dr. Fosters eyes. 81 was careless driving
down hill didn't hold him up"
DR.. Foster looked at him in surprise.
How do know that you won't lame my
horse in the same way?' he suid,
perhaps SHALL" admitted George, "bui
| shall Try not to"
So far DR.. Foster had had no reason tC
to complain OF his hired boys services. Hi
had been remarkably conscientious and faith
full about all his duties. Still he was boy
and boy of fifteen who loved fun and d
good time Just like other boys, and there had
to be little slip occasionally.
On the first winter of Georges stay with
the Fosters there was good deal of excel
lent skating in the vicinity. George had
skates, and there was nothing he loved like
skating. He could Guido all the other boys
in the neighborhood and WAS very proud OF
his accomplishment One day, when the
skating was at its height, Dr. Foster sent
George on an erraud about mile out of the
village.
You'll have TO go on foot" said he, "and
don't 20 the hill road; go the other way,
that's shorter. want yoI to be on hand
when get back from Keen with the horses.
"Yes, sir" said George.
He took his beloved skates with him.
There might be some little stretches of ice
on the way, and he could travel SO much
faster, he reasoned
He delivered the medicine as he had been
instructed, and started home. A little be-
low the house where he had stopped, the
road separated into two. One was the road
proper to the village, the other was a longer,
almost unused route, the hill road. just
where the road diverged, he met II boy whom
he knew who was emerging from the hill road
his skates dangling from his arm "Hullo +
said the boy YOU'D better 60 down this
way; it's splendid skating"
as il?" said George doubtfully.
81 tell you it's. The roads one glare of ice
all the way"
George hesitated. There was the Doctors
command. Still he had a good argument
The reason for making it had been that he
might reach home soon, and could he not
outweigh the extra distance by his extra
speed on skalesY What difference could il
make?
! Finally he started down the hill road. His
conscience was rather clamorous, but he tried
not to listen to it, The skating was excel.
lent. The road was one beautiful strip OF
smooth ice, and not cut at all. There hal
been no teams through, probably, since the
ice had formed There was but one house
for the distance of halfa mile on the road
after George entered it. 1t was little, un:
painted house, standing well back from the
road. An old nun lived there alone. George
glanced at this house as he skated by and
observed, with some wonder, that the sheet
of crusty snow before it was unbrokeu. 1t
stretched out, broad and smooth and shining
not single track in it.
That's queer" George thought, lightly
as he glided past,
When he reached home the Doctor hat
not arrived he was in ample time TO look
out for the horses when he did. There was
no necessity for telling DR.. Foster about
the hill road, but George went up TO him a
once.
II carried the medicines up to the Stevens
but came home by the hill road"
Dr. Foster could speak sharply sometimes
He did now.
"Why did you do that, when expressly
told you not tor" said he.
George explained.
THAT dostnt alter the case" said The Doc
tor. When | tell you to 90 a certain way
your business is to go that way, skating o
no skating"